Chapter 5

When Cynthia Martin regained consciousness the next morning, it was like rising through a red fog of pain. She finally worked up enough energy to open her eyes. When her eyes opened, the first thing she saw were Jan's brilliant blue eyes looking at her. She tried to smile and almost did. Realizing she was in a bed, she tried to get up, but Janice's hand gently held her down. Cindy was amazed at how weak she was; she couldn't overcome even the slightest pressure.

Jan said softly, "Where do you think you're going, young lady?" Jan's tears were flowing as she spoke. She could see the pain in Cindy's eyes.

"I'm trying to get up. I'm a slave, remember? Slaves don't sleep in beds. What am I doing here, Jan? What happened?"

Then it all came back to her. As gently as she could, she tried to run her fingers over her body. When she came to her cunt she touched the first cut and fainted from the pain. Jan started to cry in earnest when she saw the flash of pain in Cindy's eyes and then nothing.

She went down to the kitchen and came back with a bowl of soup. When she returned to the girl's bedside, Cindy's eyes were blinking open. Again, she tried to smile. Jan said, "Honey, I'm going to ask you to try to do something if you can. Do you think you can sit up a little? I'd help you but you're so badly beaten I'm afraid to touch you. I can hold your arm, but that's about all."

Lifting her body off the bed was agonizing, but Cindy did it. As soon as her weight was off the bed, Jan slipped some pillows under her head. She lay back with a sigh of relief and Jan started to spoon the warm chicken broth for her. As she did, she saw tears appear in Cindy's eyes again. "What's wrong, honey? Why are you crying?"

"Because of you, Jan. Why are you doing this? Why are you being so kind?"

"Kind? Me? Hon, you have to be thinking of three other people. Whom do you think it was wielding that whip last night?"

This time Cindy did smile faintly. "Jan, you held it, but I wielded it. It was gross egotism on my part. I thought I was tougher than Janice Stewart.

"Stewart, if there's one thing I should have learned in the last forty-eight hours it's that you're the toughest female alive. So it cost me a little." Her brow furrowed and she asked, "How much is it costing me to be in this bed? How am I ever going to pay you? I assume it just adds on to my time, but that really isn't good enough, is it?"

Jan just shook her head sadly and said, "Look, let's just concentrate on getting you back on your feet, shall we? We'll worry about that nonsense some other time."

Cindy smiled this time. "Speaking of getting back on my feet, I'm lying here trying to figure out which is worse: trying to walk or wetting the bed. I decided I'm too old for that, not to mention what the urine would feel like on my cuts." She moved in the bed and her eyes dimmed with the agony of it.

Jan just shook her head and then, as gently as possible, lifted the covers off the girl. When she did, she became almost physically ill. The cuts all over her body now looked raw and ugly. Since her legs were apart she could see the three vicious cuts coming up her back and into her cunt. She didn't know what to do so she leaned over the bed and extended her arm.

Cindy cried out as scabs on some of the cuts on her back pulled off. Some had bonded to the bottom sheet while she slept. Nevertheless, she eased her legs out of the bed. Leaning heavily on Jan for support, she tottered into the bathroom and then collapsed on the toilet seat.

Jan was standing beside her for support. Cindy moved her head and kissed Jan's belly softly. "Thank you, dear Janice. You're a lifesaver."

Jan didn't know what to say or do.

When she was finished, Cindy sat there with her head reeling.

Jan asked if she could make it alone for a few minutes, and the girl nodded. As quickly as she could, Jan changed the bed in the girl's room. Then she took advantage of the girl's position to apply more of the salve to her cuts. As she did she noticed tears in Cindy's eyes. "What's wrong, Cindy?"

"Nothing's wrong ... Except me, maybe. Janice, you're much too kind. I really can't take it anymore."

"Kind? Young lady, do you want to try to look at yourself? If you were younger, I would be headed to prison for child abuse! Now, are you up to trying to make it back to bed?"

"That's the other thing, Jan. That bed is too much. Even if I weren't such a battered wreck, I don't think I would get out of it for a month! It's absolutely scrumptious."

Jan held out her arm and helped her back to the bed. She could see that every movement was torture for the girl. When she finally was back in bed, Jan put more salve on the worst cuts which were in her loins. While she carefully applied it, Cindy moaned with pleasure.

As she finished she heard the door open downstairs. "I think you have a visitor, honey. Are you in shape for it? For that matter, I had better put something on." Jan scampered back to her room and put on a flannel bath robe. She was standing barefoot at the head of the stairs when Pete appeared followed by a slim young man.

Pete performed the introductions. "Darling, I want to introduce you to your brother, Bill. He tells me that in the family he goes by Billy to differentiate him from his dad. You have already met his wife, Joan."

Jan gathered Bill Clifford in her arms and gave him a big kiss. There were tears streaming down her cheeks when they separated. "Hi, Bill. I can't thank you enough for coming."

She grinned through her tears and said, "I remember Joan talking about you on the fateful day of my presentation to your mother. I guess you were on duty the previous night and Sandy was teasing her about it. How did you get out so fast?"

"Mom called last night around midnight. She said my sister needed some special medical help, so here I am." He held Jan away at arms length and smiled, "Damn! My sisters are more beautiful every time I look at them. And they keep multiplying, too. Of course, I did get a wife out of the deal, too, so I guess I shouldn't complain."

Smiling warmly Jan asked, "How's Joan, by the way? I love her! She's a living, breathing doll!"

"My wife? You have to be thinking of someone else. It must be the air high in that building or something. All I know is every time I come home, I'm attacked. I'm supporting the Clifford & Jamison Husbands Protective Association."

Jan grinned and said, "You're not looking too bad, brother. I think you'll probably survive. By the way, how does Joan attack you? You're bigger than she is."

"She attacks me with her body. Of course, she's not as big as you girls, but she is tough. If I ever recover from her lovemaking enough to do it, I'm going to ask for help."

He grinned but then his face turned serious. "Pete explained what happened. I guess you have a pretty sick girl here. May I see her?"

They went into Cindy's room. Her eyes were closed and the covers were up under her chin, but she looked beautiful. When they entered, her eyes opened and she smiled. Jan said, "Cindy, this is my brother, Bill. He's a doctor and he just flew in from Los Angeles to look at you. Do you mind?"

Cindy smiled warmly and said, "Of course not. Doctor Clifford, thank you so much for doing this. There's really no need, though. I'll be fine in a couple of hours. Janice is taking wonderful care of me."

Bill noticed immediately that her skin was flushed. He opened his bag and put a thermometer under her tongue. When it beeped, he took it out and looked at it. It read 103 degrees and he didn't like it. Very gently he pulled down the covers exposing the girl's body and then let out a low whistle as the extent of the damage became more apparent. He looked at Jan and his voice was angry. "What in hell were you doing to this girl? Trying to kill her?"

Tears were already flowing from Jan's eyes but before she could reply, Cindy spoke up from the bed in a very weak voice, "Leave her alone, doctor! She did nothing. It was all my fault, not hers."

Bill spun back towards the bed and was astonished to find Cindy glaring at him.

"What do you mean, lady, your fault. How was it your fault? Did you hit yourself with a whip?"

"Doctor, you could say Jan is responsible for my sore ass. On the other hand, it was direct disobedience and I deserved it. My back was caused by my arrogance: I thought I could beat your sister in her own pool. The rest is gross egotism, stupidity and bullheadedness. She and Pete both begged me not to be so stupid. Doctor, some of us are slower learners than others, that's all.

"Now can you help me get back on my feet? I have to cook dinner tonight."